Montana State ecology professors update Fishes of Montana app

BOZEMAN – Two Montana State University professors, in cooperation with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, recently updated the Fishes of Montana app used by anglers who want reliable information about Montana fish species.

The updates were made to the 5-year-old app by Christopher Guy and Alexander Zale, both professors in MSU’s Department of Ecology in the College of Letters and Science and leaders of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Montana Cooperative Fishery Research Unit. Guy said changes in the recently released eighth edition of the American Fisheries Society’s publication, “Names of Fishes,” along with other new data collected by MSU and FWP biologists, prompted the update to the Montana app.

“Because the scientific names of fishes change, their distributions change, and some invasive species are knocking on the door that we don’t want in Montana, we want to let people know about all that in the app,” Guy said.

For quick reference, the app includes a comprehensive list of fish species with their common and scientific names, and whether each species is native or introduced, threatened or a game fish. Fishes of Montana also contains a glossary, a map of major drainages in Montana, diagrams of fish anatomy and links to more resources.

“It helps people identify what species they caught so they can then tie that back to the regulations for that water body,” Guy said.

Fishes of Montana does not require cellular coverage or a wireless connection for basic identification. 

Guy said he commonly uses the “Fish/Favorites” section of the app, where he can click on a particular species to discover all kind of tidbits and facts about it, including where it lives in Montana and elsewhere in North America; its preferred diet and habitat; and its growth rate and maximum size.

The app, which is produced by MountainWorks Software, is free to download to Android and iOS devices.